Railway draft appliance



Jan. 31, 1928. 1,657,825

E.GEORGE,JR

RAILWAY DRAFT APPLIANCE Filed June 29. 1926 vwewkoz Patented Jan. 31, 1928.-

f UNITED STATES PATENTO FFICE.

ENOCH GEORGE, an, or PITTSB RG PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To THE McCoNWA-Y & TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION- or PENNSYLVANIA,

RAILWAY DRAFT APPLIANCE.

Application filed June29, 1926. Serial No. 119,394.

My invention relates to railway draft appliances, and more particularly to locomotive and tender couplers in which a car coupler is pivotally connected to a pocket casting or bracket mounted upon the railway vehicle. It is tobe understood, however, that the invention is not limited in its application to couplersof the locomotive and tender type.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a draft appliance of the type indi cated in which eflicient means for pivotally mounting the car coupler are associated with means for adjusting the height thereof.

The principal feature of the invention, generally stated, consists in respectivelyproviding a coupler pocket anda car coupler with a plurality of spaced pivot lugs which overlap in alternating relation and through which a pivot pin extends, adjacent lugs on each of the pivotally connected members be ing spaced apart a distance permitting a cooperating pivot lug and an adjusting shim to intervene therebetween.

Other features relating to advantageous relations of parts and details of construction will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings illustrating the invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims a Figure 1 is a plan view of a draft appliance embodying a preferred form of construction.

Figure 2 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, of the construction shown in Fig. 1, a portion of the coupler head being omitted.

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the pivot pin bushings employed in the construction shown in Fig. 2.

Figure 1 is a'view corresponding to Fig. 2 but illustrating the use of a different form of pivot pin bushing.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the bushings shown in Fig. 4:.

In the drawings the member to which the car coupler 1 is pivotally connected by means of the pivot pin 2 is a bracket member or coupler pocket 3 which is adapted to be secured to a locomotive or tender. The pocket member is integrally provided with a plu rality of forwardly extending pivot lugs 4, 5, and 6, respectively, spaced vertically from each other. The lowermost of these lugs is preferably extended forwardly substantially beyond th,e ot-hers so as to constitute a floor or shelf 7 for preventing sagging or drooping of the couplerl. The pivot lugs 4, 5 and 6 are tied together at thesides by the forwardly diverging lateral walls of the coupler pocket 3, as indicated at Sand 9, the divergence or flaring of said webs or walls beingsuch as to permit'the coupler to have the desired range of lateral swinging movement. The rear end of the shank of the coupler is recessed or slotted to provide a plurality of spaced pivot lugs 10 whose end faces are rounded, as indicated at 11, to conform to the curved cylindrical surfaces: 12 of the coupler pocket. The space between the lugs 10 of the coupler shank receives the pivot lug 5 of the pocket casting together intermediate with one or more shims 13. Similarly the adjacent pivot lugs 4t and 5 of the coupler pocket embrace the upper pivot lug l0 and the shims 13, while the adjacentpivot lugs 5 and 6 receive between them the lower lug 10 of the coupler shank and a plurality of shims 14, the latter preferably being extended forwardlyso as tobe substantially coextensive with the floor or coupler supporting shelf 7 of the pocket casting.

The pivot pin apertures in the lugs 10 of the coupler" are preferably provided with cylindrical bushings 15 which encircle the pivot pin 2, the upper ends of said bushings being formed with shouldered collars or flanges 16 which, by being received in corresponding recesses formed in the respectively adjacent pivot lugs, prevent the bushings from turning and thereby relieve the lugs from wear due'to pivotal movements of the coupler. Forthe same purpose the lugs t, 5 and 6 of the coupler pocket 3 have similar shouldered pivot pin bushings 17, 18 and 19, respectively, associated therewith, the bushing 17 for the uppermost pivot lug preierably being formed on opposite sides with forwardly extending projections 20 engaging the correspondingly flattened faces 21 of the head of the pivot pin, thereby preventing rotation of the latter. As thereis no relative rotation of the pivot pin with respect to the shims 13 and 14, no bushings are pro vided for the pivot pin openings of the shims. A cotter pin 22 extending through the lower end of the pivot pin may advantageously be employed as a simple means for maintaining the latter in assembled position.

In the modified form of construction. illustrated in Fig. 4 the bushings 23, 2-1 and 25 of the coupler pocket 26, as well as the bushings 27 and28, are rectangular in exterior confignrationiior their full height. instead of merely being provided with a rectangular flange or collar at one end only. The openings in the respective pivot lugs for receiving these bushings are, of course, formed to correspond to the bushings. The construction shown in Fig. 4 being otherwise the same as that heretofore described, correspending details of construction have been indicated by like reference numerals.

As illustrated in the drawings the coupler is at the highest point of adjustment relative to the pocket casting, but its position in this regard may be altered by changing the relation of the supporting shims. Upon being removed the lone; shims at the bottom of the pocket could not, of course, he inserted above the lower pivot lug of the coupler, and therefore additional shorter shims are to be employed as may be necessary to effect the desired change in the height of the coupler.

It will be perceived that the relation of parts enablesadjustmentof the height of the coupler to be easily eii'ected while also permitting the pivot pin to act in quadruple shear.

I claim 1. In a. draft appliancgthe combination of a coupler pocket and a car coupler each provided with a plurality of spaced pivot lugs, a pivot pin extending through said lugs, said lugs being in overlapped relation and those on the pocket alternating with those on the car coupler, adjacent lugs on the coupler pocket and adjacent lugs on the car coupler being spaced to permit the reception of one of said pivot lugs together with a shim. and a plurality of shims respectively positioned in the spaces between said adjacent lugs.

Q. In a draft appliance, the combination with a member having a plurality of spaced pivot lugs, of a car coupler having a plurality of spaced pivot lugs, said lugs being in overlapping relation and those first named alternating with those of the car coupler, a pin extending through said several lugs for pivotally connectin the car coupler to said men'iher. and a plurality oi shims. said shims being respectively positioned. in the space between adjacent pivot lug's of the coupler and in the space between the pivot lug of the coupler and one of the pivot lugs first named.

3. In a draft appliance, the combination of a coupler pocket and a car coupler each provided with a plurality of spaced pivot lugs a pivot pin extending through said lugs. the lugs being in overla 'iped relation and those on the pocket alterating with those on the coupler, adjacent lugs on the coupler pocket and adjacent lugs on the coupler being spaced to receive one of said pivot lugs togetherwith a shim perforated to receive said pivot pin, a plurality of shims respectively positioned in the spaces between adjacent lugs 01'' the coupler pocket and coupler, and a plurality of bushings interposed between said pivot pin and the coupler, each bushing respectively e. :tendin;.1 into the opening of a corresponding pivot lag of the coupler but not extending through the adjacent shim.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

nnoon enonon, (in. 

